BUCKS; Disclosing Your Salary

By JENNIFER SARANOW SCHULTZ

Published: June 19, 2010

In response to Wednesday's Bucks post, ''On Lying About Your Salary in Job Interviews,'' about whether it's ethical to inflate your current salary during a job interview, many readers recommended refusing to disclose your salary in the first place. After all, by disclosing your salary, you may be hurting your chances for a big pay increase.

''You don't have to reveal your salary information,'' said Ramit Sethi, author of ''I Will Teach You to Be Rich'' and the popular blog of the same name. ''You're under no obligation to reveal it at all.''

So how should you handle the question? Mr. Sethi shared his recommended script and tips with us.

First, he said, when filling out any kind of job application form that asks for your current or old salary information, write ''NA.'' Then, when you're talking with the recruiter and he or she asks you the same question, respond with, ''I'm sure we'll find a number that works for both of us, but for now, I want to make sure it's a good fit.'' You could also say, ''I'm really not comfortable with revealing that information but I am interested in discussing some of the other ways I can help the company,'' Mr. Sethi said.

''Smoothly say you are not going to answer the question and refocus it on how you can add value to the company,'' he said, noting that job applicants should make sure to practice with a friend before the actual discussion so they can answer smoothly and firmly and don't break down and divulge the information.

More often than not, Mr. Sethi said, the recruiter will move on and the issue of salary won't come up again until you're offered the job. At that point, just make sure that the potential employer first gives you a range of what it is willing to pay. Then, you can let the employer know if that's in line with what you expect.

Sometimes, though, a recruiter will respond that he or she needs to know your current salary to move on and will act outraged or surprised that you won't give it. In this situation, if you're really confident you're going to get the job, are a skilled negotiator and aren't competing with many other candidates, Mr. Sethi recommends responding with something like, ''Look, I'm not going to reveal my salary expectations or salary history. Let's move on.'' And depending on whom you're talking with, you can add, ''I'm sure the hiring manager (his or her name) wouldn't want this to be derailed just because I didn't fill out one field on a form, but as you know, I'm very interested'' in the job.

But if the recruiter really persists, then the best bet at this point is to reveal a ''total comp'' number, a number that represents your current total compensation including salary and benefits (think gym discounts, retirement account contributions, etc.)

For more of Mr. Sethi's tips, check out his YouTube videos on common salary negotiation mistakes and tactics and other advice here and here.

Meanwhile, other readers suggested declining to tell the employer what you are currently making and offering instead to give the amount you'd like to get paid -- your reservation price. (Mr. Sethi said such techniques theoretically would work as well, but since many people tend to break down during interviews and disclose their salary information, it's a good idea to have the ''total comp'' figure handy.)

Have you refused to reveal a salary? If so, what technique did you use and what happened?

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.